1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to nestable carts for use at supermarkets or the like and, more particularly, to a rear gate panel support arrangement for blocking a pivoting rear gate panel of one cart from dropping down into a plastic basket of another cart during cart nesting.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Nestable carts for use at supermarkets or the like are widely known in the art. In general, such carts each include a basket supported upon a metal frame wherein the basket is formed with a rear panel that is adapted to pivot upon being engaged by a front portion of another cart. With this arrangement, the front portion of one cart can become nested within the basket of the other cart. This enables numerous carts to be stored in a compact manner.
The baskets for such carts are either formed from metal wires or plastic. Forming the baskets from plastic has numerous advantages since, for example, the baskets can be made lighter for ease of maneuverability, the plastic will not rust or corrode, and the baskets are less likely to cause damage to vehicles in the parking lot of a store using such baskets. Unfortunately, as with other types of cart, carts made with plastic baskets suffer from the drawback that, when similarly constructed carts are nested, the pivoting rear panel of a forward cart can drop within the basket portion of a nested cart which makes unnesting the carts extremely difficult.
In the prior art, this problem has been solved in the plastic shopping cart art by providing stop brackets that are welded to a reinforcing ring that supports the plastic basket. These stop brackets extend about an upper edge of the plastic basket and project into the basket itself. Such a known arrangement is exemplified in FIG. 7 of the present application.
Although the presence of the stop brackets can function well to prevent the pivoting rear gate panel of the forward cart from dropping within the basket of a cart nested therewith, the connections between the stop brackets and the reinforcing ring have been known to fail over time mainly due to the fatigue loading placed thereon. In addition, assembly of the stop brackets to the reinforcing ring requires an additional manufacturing step, as well as the production of additional components. Obviously, these factors result in increased repair and manufacturing costs. Furthermore, these stop brackets can catch on articles and the like placed within the basket which is undesirable. Finally, these stop brackets are not aesthetically appealing.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a rear gate panel support arrangement for use on plastic, nestable carts which will not only function to prevent a pivoting rear gate of a forward cart from dropping into the plastic basket of a nested cart but which will be more economical to manufacture, more reliable and aesthetically appealing.